He's proposing the cuts because of the costs of a lawsuit involving a top aide to former Senate Majority leader Amy Koch.

That aide claimed he was fired because he was having an affair with Koch.

The cuts would affect the pay of GOP legislative and committee assistants along with research staff.

"The actions taken this morning at the rules committee today are unwarranted, they are arbitrary and they are capricious," said Senate Minority Leader David Hann during the senate session Thursday morning.